Recently
a number of the society members had a day out, planned by our
chairman Bernard Taylor.The visit was to Aston Hall and, after
lunch, to Blakesley Hall. Both Aston and Blakesley Halls came as a
surprise as they are both surrounded by more modern
buildings.

Firstly we went to Aston Hall and to find a
Jacobean house so close to the centre of Birmingham is indeed a
surprise. On our arrival we were met by two guides, who each took
half of our party on a tour of the Hall.

Aston
Hall

The
tour started in the Great Hall, where the guide told us some of the
background to the Hall, the fact that it had taken 17 years to build
(from 1618 to 1635) and had been designed to show how rich and
powerful Sir Thomas Holt, the owner and builder, was.

Entrance
Hall and Sir Thomas Holte painting

Sir
Thomas had two wives and fifteen children and outlived all of his
children. He had a quick temper and it is alleged that he killed his
cook simply because his meal was not ready on time. Sir Thomas fell
out with his eldest son as he disapproved of the lady he had married
and with one of his daughters who was also in a relationship he did
not agree with. Sir Thomas locked his daughter in a small room at the
top of the Hall (below) .... more about this later.

When
there was no male heir to inherit the Hall, it and it's
contents had to be sold, and the proceeds distributed to
the remaining members of the Holt family. The room used by the family
as a dining room has been furnished with pieces from the correct
period. The dining room, where guests would have been entertained, is
a much grander room and has a table laid as though a feast were to
take place, showing the type of food they would have been served.
Here our attention was drawn to the plaster work around the freize.

Ceiling
freize

Hole
in staircase caused by a cannonball

After
the meal they would have moved to the Withdrawing Room, and maybe
some of the guests would have taken a walk in the Long Gallery. The
Long Gallery is where the family as well as guests would have taken
exercise on wet days. The Gallery also provided a show case for the
family wealth.

The
Long Gallery

Family
Crest in Stained Glass

When
we reached the top of the Hall where the servants lived the guide
pointed out the room where Sir Thomas had incarcerated his daughter.
It was very small, and the room where she died. It is said
that she haunts the area around where she was imprisoned.

The
butler's room, as befitted his status, was larger than expected. Our
guide pointed out a small cupboard, by the side of the fireplace,
which had been used to store the kindling, as it was one of the
butler's duties to light the fires each morning.

Butler’s
Room

There
are two kitchens in the Hall, because the original one proved to be
too small for all the entertaining which took place and it was
replaced by a much larger one. The original kitchen was later used by
the servants.

The
kitchens

During
our tour, ceilings and plasterwork were pointed out to us, they were
exquisite. The guide explained that work was in progress to repair
and make good all of the plasterwork, as well as the fabric of the
Hall. The guide also told us the James Watt's son had rented the Hall
for a period and had made some additions to the plasterwork, but it
had all been done in the Jacobean style.

When
the Hall was eventually sold, it was bought by a consortium who
planned to open it up for the entertainment of the public.
Unfortunately things did not work out and the consortium had to
close. Birmingham City Council eventually purchased the hall, making
it the first such property to be owned by a local council. The
restoration was started using craftsmen versed in traditional
methods, and as you can imagine the work is still ongoing.

Following
a very good lunch, we travelled a few miles to the second property,
Blakesley Hall, which was built in 1590 for a Birmingham merchant
named, Richard Smalbroke. It is a timber framed property much smaller
than Aston Hall but equally as interesting.

The
Hall has a Long Gallery, smaller than the one at Aston Hall but no
doubt as impressive to visitors of Richard Smalbroke. The Hall has a
Painter Chamber with a tester bed and 400 hundred year old wall
paintings, which along with the carved wooded furniture show that the
Hall must have been a comfortable and prosperous home.

Blakesley
Hall, Yardley and the entrance mural (below)

Dining
room and kitchen (below)

Richard
Smalbroke had a room on the first floor, where he may have carried
out tasks relating to his business. This room also gave him a clear
view of anyone who came to his front door.

When
we visited there was an exhibition about Thomas and Elizabeth Merry
and their three children, who lived at Blakesley Hall from 1901 to
1932. The Merry children Tom, Frank and May were all involved in the
First World War. Tom was an officer in the Army Service Corps and was
based in Rouen, Frank fought at Passchendaele with the Artists Rifles
and May enrolled in the Voluntary Aid Detachment working in a number
of military hospitals.

In the exhibition there were
photographs, medals and letters from the family's archive which
enabled visitors to understand what it was like for a family during
the First World War, The Merry family were very fortunate as all
three children came home from the War.

If you should make
a visit to either Hall you may be pleased to know that they both have
tearooms. Blakesley Hall also has a herb garden and an orchard.
Both properties made us very welcome and a great day out
was enjoyed by us all.

Thank
you Bernard.

Ed’s
comment-My thanks to our member, who wishes to remain anonymous, who
has offered to do an article for the Oracle on the society visits
during the year. Usually we have four a year and the next one is on
Thursday 5th
March 2015. The day includes a visit to St Cassians, Chaddesley
Corbett followed by lunch at The Fox and then a guided tour of Hagley
Hall. Forms are available now and the cost is just £25.